Electrical connecter



1937- I J. c. mcHARbsoN 2,097,470

ELECTRICAL CONNECTER Filed Nov. 27, 1935 Patented Nov. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES ELECTRICAL CONNECTER' James 0. Richardson, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignoi' to Royal Switchboard 00., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 2'7, 1935, Serial No. 51,746 8 Claims. (01.173-259) This invention relates to solderless connecters for electric conductors and has for an object to provide a connecter to clamp a conductor intermediate its ends or at its ends, to provide a conductor clamp that grips the conductor uniformly throughout its length, to provide a clamp for a conductor having an engaging member operating on an inclined plane, to provide a clamp with means of varying its size, to provide a plum rality of clamps for conductors formed integrally as a unit construction, to provide a clamp that can be formed in different lengths from bar stock and to provide a clamp with clips for a switch terminal that may be drawn or extruded to pear from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, illustrating one form of the invention, and in which;

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a switch panel with a pair of lugs having connecters formed according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the construction in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a form of the invention for connecting the abutting ends of a pair of conductors;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the left end of Fig. 3, with the conductoromitted;

Fig. 5 is a modified form of a clamp for a pair of cables placed side by side, constructed accord- 3 ing to this invention;

Fig. 8 is a rolled form of bar stock thatmay be used in making these terminals;

Fig. 9 shows'the stock in Fig. 6, after drawing and finishing.

This invention comprises a clamp form of terminal for an electric conductor to which the conductor is secured by a clamping action without any preparation or forming other than removing the insulation from the conductor. The construction includes a jaw with a semicircular inner end developed into a pair of parallel sides tangent to the circular inner end, and a sliding wedge or block arranged to slide between these parallelsides and having its inner face formed in a semicircle complementary to the semicircle oi the jaw. The conductor is inserted in the jaw and the wedging member is then placed-between the parallel sides and forced into engagement with the conductor by a screw an inclined plane construction. Power conductors, such as are 55 used on-electric distribution systems are usually made of stranded cables and under the wedging action of the clamp these cables can be forced from a'cylindrical to an oval shape. The wedging member is arranged to close the clamp so that its aperture may be reduced to an oval construction and thus the terminal may be applied to conductors of different sizes.

cylindrical aperture of the clamp may also be varied by inserting a liner in the clamp.

The jaw and the wedging member of the invention are made from bar stock that is longitudinally uniform so that they can be manufactured in lengths either by rolling or by extruding the metal, the lengths are then cut into sections to form the individual terminals as desired, the construction thus lends itself to production at low cost.

In the drawing, H is the base panel of an electric switch, I2 is a terminal at one side of the panel and I3 is a terminal at the opposite side. These terminals are formed out of solid stock l4 having the upstanding clip l5 for the fuse or switch blade and the jaw iii in which the wedging member If! is forced to close the jaw by the screw 20 to clamp the stranded conductor [8. The jaw is preferably curved on the outer surface as indicated at H to increase the distance between the metal parts which are mounted on the insulated panel Ii. a

The wedge l9, Fig. 2, is provided with a slot at 2| for the stem of the screw 20 to enable the wedge to slide on the inclined surface .25 for clamping purposes. This surface isinclined relative to the base and the screw 20 is perpendicu-- lar to the base. The terminals may be secured to the panel by the counter bored screws 23 and the bolt 20 is screwed into the screw hole 22 in the jaw. It will be observed that as the screw 20 is tightened the wedge I9 is forced inwardly towards the semi-cylindrical surface 24 of the jaw and is guided forward by the parallel sides of the jaw. From Figs. 6 and 7, it will be observed that the inner face of the wedge is semicylindrical and is formed to the same radius as the semi-cylindrical jaw so thatwhen in the position indicated in Fig. 6 the clamp incloses a cylinder as indicated by a. In order that the clamping member may advance into. the jaw to reduce the clamping space, the parallel sides of the member l9 where they join the semi-cylindrical face are rounded as indicated at to the same radius as the jaw, thus enabling the clamp to close up to .the position indicated by b, Fig. 7, thereby adapting .the clampto conductors of different sizes.

The size of the 1 that a true cylinder shaped jaw is necessary. The jaw is merely rounded to avoid sharp corners and to conform to the shape that the stranded conductor may assume as it is clamped in the jaw.

In Fig. 3, the application of the invention for connecting a pair of cables in the same straight line is shown, cable 3| connecting to the right hand terminal and cable 32 connecting to the left hand terminal. The construction inFig. 5 shows a clamp adapted for a pair of cables that may be placed side by side. In this construction the body 34 is provided with a pair of opposed jaws for the conductors in which the wedges l9 are forced into engagement by the screw 35, this may be a bolt passing through the base and engaging both wedges or each wedge may have a separate screw for holding it in place. In Fig. 4, a liner 33 is provided in the jaw and is formed to a contour of the jaw, within. this liner the Wedge member I9 is applied, by the screw 20 to clamp the conductor. This provides a means of reducing the size of the jaw without changing the cylindrical form of the clamp.

The terminals forming the jaw may be cast or may be built up from separate pieces, but the preferred method of construction is indicated in Figs. 8 and 9. The terminals are usually made of hard copper or copper alloy and may be rolled in bar stock in the form indicated at A with the upstanding portion C to form the jaws of the clip '35, Fig. 9. This bar stock is then extruded in the form indicated in B, Fig. 9, which is ready to be cut into lengths and drilled for the attaching screws. The slot 31 may be formed in the extruding process, or partially formed, and finished by machining.

The invention admits of a variety of applications in addition to those shown. It is also apparent that some of the constructions can be combined in one device, as for instance the application of liner 33, Fig. 4 to the form of the device shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

'1. A clampfor an electrical conductor comprising a base with a jaw having a semi-cylindrical end with parallel sides formed on an inclined plane relative to said base, a clamping member for clamping the conductor in the-jaw, arranged to slide on said inclined plane between the parallel sides and having its inner end formed semicylindrical complementary to the jaw, and means for forcing said member into said jaw.

2. A clamp for an electrical conductor comprising a body with a base having a jaw with a semi-cylindrical end and with parallel formed on an inclined plane relative to said base, a clamping member for clamping the conductor in the jaw arranged to slide between said parallel sides, having its inner end formed semi-cylindrical and having a slot in its outer end, and a screw passing through the slot into said body for forcing the clamping member into engagement with the conductor.

3. A clamp for an electrical conductor comprising a body with a base having a jaw with a semi-cylindrical end and with parallel sides The term, semi-cylindrical does not imply formed on an inclined plane relative to said base, a clamping member for clamping the conductor in the jaw arranged to slide between said parallel sides having its inner end formed semicylindrical, and having a slot in its outer end and a screw oil-centered from the plane of the conductor passing through the slot into said body for forcing the clamping member into engagement with the conductor.

4. A clamp for the abutting ends of a pair of electrical conductors comprising a body having a base formed in a longitudinal semi-cylindrical jaw to receive the abutting ends of the conductors, said jaw having a pair of parallel sides formed on an inclined plane relative to the base, a clamping member for each conductor arranged to slide between said sides on the inclined plane and having its inner end formed semi-cylindrical to engage the conductor and a screw for each clamping member engaging the member and the body for independently clamping the end of each conductor to said body.

5. A clamp for a pair of electrical conductors comprising a body having a base formed in a pair of semi-cylindrical jaws each with parallel sides formed on an inclined plane relative to the base to receive the conductors, a clamping member for each jaw arranged to slide between said sides on the inclined plane and having its inner end formed semi-cylindrical to engage the conductors and means engaging said body and each of said clamping members to force said members into engagement with the conductors.

6. A clamp for an electrical conductor comprising a member having a base and a semi-cylindrical jaw witha pair' of parallel sides for receiving the conductor, said jaw having its sides inclined relative to the base to form an inclined plane, a wedging member for the jaw sliding between said sides on said inclined plane and having an outer face parallel with the base and a screw engaging said outer face and said base to force the wedge into the jaw.

7. A clamp for an electrical conductor comprising a clamping jaw formed substantially in a semicircle with parallel sides tangent to the circle, a wedge having parallel sides sliding in said jaw and having its inner face formed in a semicircle complementary to the jaw, the parallel sides being rounded where they meet the semicircular face to the radius of the jaw to permit the wedge to contract the aperture of the jaw and means for forcing the wedge into the jaw.

8. A clamp for an electrical conductor for mounting on a base, comprising a clamping jaw formed in a semicircle with parallel sides tangent to the semicircle and .with the exterior of the jaw formed in a curve having approximately the same centre as the semi-circle, one of said sides mounted on the base, a wedge sliding with a close JAMES c. RICHARDSON. 

